As is well known in society, physicians and other health care providers recommend the consumption of a given amount of liquid, particularly water, on a daily basis. The most common recommendation for water consumption is approximately eight 8 ounce glasses per day, for a total of 64 ounces per day. The consumption of water within this recommended range is particularly important for persons engaged in weight loss or daily physical activity.
However, due to the myriad of activities and tasks a person is engaged in on a daily basis, keeping a record of the consumption of a liquid may be easily disregarded or even forgotten. As such, a recording procedure is usually necessary. To be successful, the ease of the recording procedure is paramount, such as not to needlessly increase the complexity of the activities a person must perform on a daily basis. In order to further this ease of use, the recording procedure should be incorporated or be made a feature of the drinking vessel such that the user can record consumptive uses with each refill of the drinking vessel.
The recording process must also not interfere with the sanitary use of the drinking vessel, and should also permit the user to easily clean the drinking vessel between each consumptive use or as desired by the user.
Finally, the recording process should engage the user in a manner which promotes the continued consumption of the liquid so as to maintain a healthy lifestyle as recommended by the health care community.
The present invention addresses a perceived and important need for many people, in that it provides a drinking vessel which includes an integrated system for tracking the consumption of a liquid such as water. In the present invention, the exterior facing surface of the drinking vessel is embossed or otherwise fabricated with a series of circumscribing grooves. Within each of these grooves resides a colored elastomeric band. As the user completely consumes the liquid within the drinking vessel, the elastomeric bands may be moved longitudinally along the exterior face of the drinking vessel in either an upward or downward direction, depending upon the desire of the user, to a collection area. Alternatively, the user can remove a single elastomeric band with each consumptive use and place the band around their wrist, for example, each time the liquid within the drinking vessel is consumed. Once all eight elastomeric bands have been moved to the collection area on the drinking vessel, or placed around the wrist of the user, the user can clean the drinking vessel and reset the individual elastomeric bands within the respective circumscribing grooves to ready the drinking vessel, yet again, for use.